Russia’s military-industrial complex should produce all components and materials domestically to alleviate contract and political risks, the Russian president said. Current ‘hard times’ will be beneficial for the industry at large, said Vladimir Putin.

The Russian military industry should phase-out imports rapidly
and began full-cycle production of all necessary components and
materials, stated President Vladimir Putin at a meeting dedicated
to domestic military production on Monday.

“The questions we are discussing are absolutely key issues of
Russia’s military and economic security, our technological and
industrial independence and technological sovereignty. Our task
is to deliver ourselves from contract default risks posed by
foreign partners, and the political risks included,” said
the president.

EU-member countries instigated by the US continue to introduce sectorial sanctions against Russia over the political crisis
in Ukraine. The recent crash of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777
in Ukraine only put more oil on the flames, as the EU introduced
more mutually non-beneficial sanctions
against the Russian economy.

Putin called “to advance the efforts on import substitution
within the military-industrial complex and maximum possible
transition to domestic materials and components in the production
of special hardware and weapons.”

The quality of units and components must be a matter of utmost
control, the president stressed.

Vladimir Putin said he’s “absolutely sure” that Russia’s
defense industry could be fully self-sufficient, with the major
issues to be observed without fail: fair pricing, meeting
delivery time limits and guaranteed high quality of components
produced.

“The difficulties (the Russian military-industrial complex is
currently facing) would eventually serve to our benefit, because
we’d be forced to organize new production lines we have been
previously lacking,” Putin said, stressing that Russian
industry should not adopt outdated technologies, but pick up only
on cutting edge technologies.

“Be sure not to waste money and calculate all expenses in
advance,” the president advised in his address to the
conference.

Last week an influential Russian daily reported that the national arms industry had
developed a plan to replace its Ukrainian suppliers, lost during
the latest crisis in the country, with companies in Belarus and
Kazakhstan.

The deputy PM in charge of the defense sector, Dmitry Rogozin,
earlier announced the Russian government would
prepare a plan on import replacement in conventional weapons and
present it to the president.